Vintage Gifs of Montreal

Considering that Montreal is often described as “old world charm with modern conveniences,” we thought it would be fun to relive some of the city’s old world charm with the help of a modern convenience: the animated GIF!

A horse-drawn firesleigh races to save the people of Montreal from flames! This video of Montreal is likely one of the oldest in existence. It was originally copyrighted March 19, 1901 by Mr. Thomas A. Edison. Yes, that Thomas Edison. He shot it as some early test footage from one of his many inventions: the motion picture camera.

Some early footage of a streetcar, automobiles and pedestrians hustling through an intersection in downtown Montreal.

The Montreal Canadiens built their dynasty sans helmets. How did their faces not get totally busted up? Also, why is the door to the rink so tiny? Oh old things.

Still unclear why Montreal ever got rid of these things. Look at how quaint they make everything look!

The monorail zooms along Expo 67 with massive crowds milling below. While many of the pavilions have been demolished, the golf ball shaped American pavilion still stands. It’s now known as the Biosphere and houses an environmental museum. Maybe in another 50 years it will be something more awesome.

If you’ve ever been shopping along Sainte-Catherine, chances are you recognize that stately building on the left. The sign is hard to read, but it says “Morgans”, a major department store at the time. Today the same building holds another Canadian department store: The Bay.

Looks more like the Vegas strip than downtown Montreal- we should totally bring back signs like this. It adds just a lovely ambiance to nightlife sin.

A youngster rockets down a set of those famous spiral staircases in the Plateau neighbourhood to go play with friends. Careful children!

More staircases in the Plateau. Good lord, people looked so damn classy back then. Wonder if our future descendants will think the same about us when they peruse our old Instagram videos…

A momentous occasion in Montreal during the Summer Olympic Games in 1976! P.S. You want that hair. Admit it.

After that quick peek back in time, it’s evident how far we’ve come as a city. But even after everything that has happened, some things never change:

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